1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to integrated circuit devices and more particularly to deep trench capacitors and methods of manufacture thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In trench capacitors, dislocations have been found to occur that have been closely associated with stress from polysilicon reorientation/recrystallization. Dislocations are of utmost concern in DRAM and eDRAM products using trench capacitors, since dislocations which occur in the vicinity of the strap outdiffusion are responsible for increased junction leakage and degraded retention time. During standard thermal processing, when the polysilicon in the trench recrystallizes and grain growth occurs, it shrinks (because the loss of grain boundaries from growth reduces the volume). As a result of such shrinkage, the polysilicon experiences significant tensile stresses. This in turn passes significant stresses from the polysilicon into the neighboring structure surrounding the trench, so much so that dislocations are punched out into the silicon active area which then can cause degraded data retention and other problems.
Although the use of pure germanium (Ge) or Silicon Germanium (Si/Ge) doped polysilicon has been proposed as a fill material for trench capacitors, the prior art teaches the use of germanium or germanium doped polysilicon filling the entire trench, which is not employed in this invention. See commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,480 of Economikos et al. for “Germanium or Silicon-Germanium Deep Trench Fill by Melt-Flow Process”.
Loh et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,253 for “Method for Forming a Dopant Outdiffusion Control Structure Including Selectively Grown Silicon Nitride in a Trench Capacitor of a DRAM Cell” forms a buried strap for coupling a trench capacitor to a doped junction of a transistor. The strap is composed of intrinsic (undoped) or lightly doped polysilicon, which is again different from the teachings of the present invention.